Re: Repeater: Persistent Problems with Sync

[Mark Sottilaro <sine@zerocrossing.net>]

Kim Flint wrote:

>
> Before the "it don't seem to work right" problems, I have one issue with
> just the basic way midi sync in works that is driving me nuts. I really
> want Repeater to automate this a little better for me so I can be busy 
>with
> something else while repeater captures the loop. I basically want to be
> able to tell it that the loop is to be 2 bars or 4 bars or 9 bars or
> whatever at a given time signature. Then I want to push Record and have 
>the
> Repeater capture that much time based on the incoming midi clock, and 
>start
> looping it. I don't want to have to press it myself exactly at the end,
> like seems to be required now. (or am I missing something?) If I push too
> early by an eighth note or more, it just goes ahead and makes that the
> loop, and tells me I'm in 3/4 time or 5/4 or whatever, and the resulting
> loop is a mess.  I want to be lazier about that end point so I can focus 
>on
> other things, and know that the machine will do what machines are good 
>at,
> which is grab precise amounts of loop time that I tell it to do up front
> and then lock it in sync... This is something I really prefer about sync 
>on
> the Echoplex, you can be really imprecise about it as the user and barely
> pay any attention to the echoplex, and the machine takes care of locking 
>it
> in precisely. On the Repeater though, I'm constantly having trouble with 
>this.
>

I totally agree, that would be much better than the way it is.

Repeater output is consistently off

> significantly from the drum machine, so that I am hearing a lot of 
>flamming
> between the two drum tracks. That means the sync is not very tight. It
> wanders around quite a bit too, but they don't come together, so it isn't
> very stable somehow. Same test on the EDP is very solid. For me, this 
>sort
> of loose sync is a serious problem that Electrix really needs to fix.

So far, I haven't seen this, but I've not done the drum record test.  I've 
been
spending a lot of time setting up a new computer, so I admit that my tests 
are no
why as precise as yours, Kim.  As for the midi clock out all the time 
deal, my
Roland MC-307 does this as well, and actually I find it a good way to start
something at a tempo, sans sequence, and then add it in at a later time 
and have
it synched to what I played.  Bug?  Feature?  Probably be best if it could 
be
defeated if the user desired it that way.

Mark Sottilaro